Mayoral candidates’ strengths, weaknesses

• Faulconer has the support of the downtown business establishment which will spend millions to help him get elected. Raising money won’t be an issue for him.

Weaknesses

• Faulconer has often played second fiddle to other Republican leaders like Sanders and former City Councilman Carl DeMaio on major civic issues. Critics question whether Faulconer can lead given his image as a follower.

• He has repeatedly said he’ll focus on reinvesting in San Diego’s poorest neighborhoods, but some of his biggest financial backers are developers and business leaders who would prefer the city’s focus remain on downtown, the convention center expansion and a new Chargers stadium.

• He readily admits he’s never been the loudest guy in the room and that could hurt him in the coming election. He’s sometimes described as boring or dull and with voter turnout expected to be low he’ll need to spur his supporters to the polls.

• He’s at a distinct disadvantage as a Republican in a city with far more registered Democrats (40 percent) than Republicans (27 percent). He’ll need to excite his Republican base and win over independents if he’s going to be victorious.